CONSUMER campaigners Which? revealed yesterday that public trust in supermarkets has plummeted to its lowest level since the horsemeat scandal rocked the industry 10 years ago.

The magazine’s monthly consumer insight tracker found that trust in the grocery sector has plummeted as the majority of households grapple with rising supermarket prices.

The survey shows that public trust dropped this month to the lowest it has been since February 2013 — when horse DNA had been discovered in frozen beef burgers and lasagne sold in some Irish and British supermarkets.

The rising public distrust comes after research from the High Pay Centre found that the pay of chief executives on the FTSE 100 surged by 16 per cent last year, with bosses pocketing average pay rises of about £500,000.

Those findings were slammed by the union Unite, with general secretary Sharon Graham saying chief executives are being rewarded for overseeing “greedflation.” 

Research from the union has repeatedly shown that firms’ excess profits are a key cause of higher inflation.

“We have to ask ourselves who is the economy for? Workers and communities merely existing isn’t good enough. 

“Until policy-makers stop attacking wages and take on the corporate profiteers, there will be no end to this cost-of-living crisis.

“The politicians who show they are truly on the side of workers and communities will be the ones that will be rewarded at the ballot box,” Ms Graham said.

Which?’s Katie Alpin said: “The cost of the weekly shop is now on a par with energy bills as the biggest worry for millions of households.

“Supermarkets have the power to ease the huge pressure faced by shoppers, especially families and those on low incomes, by putting low-cost budget-range items in hundreds of more expensive convenience stores,” Ms Alpin said.

Which? research has found that these stores rarely, if ever, stock the cheapest products.

According to the British Retail Consortium, fresh food prices have helped retail inflation slow in August. Its report published today shows prices rose 6.9 per cent in the year to August, down from 8.4 per cent in July.

Star readers will know this does not mean that goods are getting cheaper, just that they are now increasing in price more slowly.